When a user deletes the rule violation right after you report it.
Discord, Reddit, Twitch, Slack — every platform has unsend, every platform has 'message deleted,' every platform has appeals where the offender claims 'you edited the screenshot.' Receipts.you turns mod evidence from screenshot-they-might-have-edited into screenshot-they-demonstrably-didn't: SHA-256, ECDSA P-256 signature, OpenTimestamps anchor within thirty minutes. Free, browser-only, no per-server fee. The receipt URL slots cleanly into mod-log channels, appeal-decision posts, and platform escalations. The receipt doesn't decide whether the rule applies — that's your call. It just makes the evidence un-disputable.
Workflows moderators actually run
- 01
Catch a slur, screenshot, seal, then take action.
The order matters: seal before the action, so the screenshot timestamp predates the ban. Mods who ban first and screenshot after sometimes face appeals where the user claims the screenshot was fabricated post-ban as justification. Seal-first removes the gap.
- 02
Paste the receipt URL into the mod-log channel.
Most Discord servers and most Slack workspaces have a dedicated mod-log channel. The receipt URL is short and stable; it doesn't break when Discord deletes the original message. A year later, an audit of mod actions can still resolve every ban back to a verifiable receipt.
- 03
When an appeal lands, paste the receipt URL into the appeal channel.
Appellants who claim 'you edited the screenshot' are pre-emptively answered: the receipt is signed by us, the timestamp is anchored on a public chain we can't rewrite, and verification is one-click for the head mod or platform-trust contact reviewing the appeal.
- 04
For platform escalations (Discord T&S, Reddit Anti-Evil), include the receipt.
Platform trust-and-safety teams have started recognizing sealed receipts as higher-trust evidence in escalations. The verification step takes the reviewer one second; it lowers their friction to accept the report.
What it maps to in your world
- Receipts are append-only and externally anchored. The chain of custody between rule-violation and ban is cryptographic, not anecdotal — important for community-trust if your moderation actions are ever scrutinized.
- Sealed evidence reduces 'screenshot was edited' appeal volume. Appellants who know the screenshot is signed stop pursuing that line; the appeal turns to whether the rule applies, which is a productive conversation.
- Free at all volumes relevant to a moderation team. Cloudflare's free tier carries us; rate limits are well above any plausible mod-team load (1000/min/IP, 10,000/day/IP).
- Open-source verifier client. If your platform's T&S team wants to integrate verification into their tooling, the verifier is on GitHub under MIT.
- Works for any image evidence: chat screenshots, image-post violations, Twitch overlay screenshots, even photo evidence sent in-DM from one user about another.
Questions this page answers
- “discord moderator evidence after delete”
- “reddit mod screenshot proof”
- “twitch moderator rule violation evidence”
- “forum ban appeal evidence”
- “community moderation screenshot timestamp”
- “mod log evidence chain”
- “platform abuse escalation evidence”
- “appeal screenshot was edited claim”
Specific answers
Will Discord / Reddit accept this in their report flow?
Yes — all major platforms accept image evidence in the standard report path. None currently have a dedicated 'receipt URL' field, so paste the URL into the description / additional-context field. Platform T&S agents who understand cryptography (most do) weigh sealed evidence higher.
Should I tell users on the server that I'm sealing reports?
A small notice in your rules ('moderator reports are timestamped via receipts.you so they survive message deletion') is a strong deterrent. Some communities don't post the policy publicly because the deterrent is less effective when known. That's a community-norms call, not a technical one.
Can I seal evidence about a user that I might later un-ban?
Yes — receipts don't imply enforcement. Sealing a screenshot just proves the file existed at a timestamp. Whether you ban, warn, or do nothing is independent. The receipt remains valid even if you reverse the moderation action.
What about user privacy — am I storing personal data?
We store only the 32-byte SHA-256 hash and two 8-byte perceptual hashes; the image bytes never reach our servers. The screenshot stays on your device. If you're in a regulated context (GDPR, regulated communities), the data-minimization argument is straightforward: we have less of the data than your camera roll does.
Can a community-trust audit verify my receipts retrospectively?
Yes — every receipt is public at receipts.you/r/<id>. An auditor can verify the signature and the OpenTimestamps anchor without trusting you or us. The audit becomes 'did the screenshot match the rule violation,' not 'did the screenshot exist when the moderator says it did.'
Do you have a Discord-bot integration for one-click sealing from mod actions?
Not in v1. The API is open and unauthenticated (POST to /api/seal with the hash); a community-built bot is straightforward, and if you'd like to ship one, the bot will be welcome. Reach out at [email protected] if you build one and we'll link it.
Seal first. Ban second. The appeal answers itself.
Free, browser-only, no per-server fee. The receipt slot into your mod-log workflow with one URL paste.